Understanding the determinants of treated bed net use in Ethiopia: A machine learning classification approach using PMA Ethiopia 2023 survey data.
Journal:
PloS one
Published Date:
Jul 7, 2025
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Malaria remains a significant public health challenge in Ethiopia, with over 7.3 million cases and 1,157 deaths reported between January 1 and October 20, 2024. Despite extensive distribution campaigns, 35% of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) remain underutilized, hindering malaria control efforts. Traditional statistical approaches have identified socioeconomic and demographic factors as predictors of ITN use, but often fail to capture complex, nonlinear interactions. This study applies machine learning to identify non-apparent factors of ITN utilization and investigates its performance in prediction as compared to traditional logistic regression.
